


You Left That Body Long Ago (December in St Mawes)

by Flanker27_UK



Series: Strikes Life [6]
Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:41:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23155729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flanker27_UK/pseuds/Flanker27_UK
Summary: I have a Creative writing project entitled Moral DilemmasThis is my effort in the Strike UniverseTo fellow fans: Sorry
Relationships: Robin Ellacott/Cormoran Strike
Series: Strikes Life [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1576129
Comments: 21
Kudos: 19





	You Left That Body Long Ago (December in St Mawes)

**Left that Body Long Ago**

_Oh my dance is getting slower now,  
Cause my years they're getting older now.  
And my eyes, they won't cry.  
My tears have all run dry.  
And my memory doesn't get me very far,  
I can't remember my name or exactly who you are.  
And I don't know why, no I don't know why._

_Amy MacDonald_

She drove as competently as always, guiding the Defender along the familiar Cornish roads, gently tapped the top of the steering wheel twice, affectionately. The car was an old girl now but was just as loved as the day Cormoran had presented her to Robin on her 50th birthday.

She looked across at the man who’d been her life, he’d aged well, not lost his hair but it was almost completely white now, his skin tanned from the St Mawes’ climate. He caught her looking and, for a second, she thought he was looking into her soul, as he’d always been able to, but the moment was lost.

“Where are we going? Sorry I can’t quite remember your name; will we be meeting Charlotte?”

The words tore into the remnants of Robin’s heart.

“No love, I’m Robin, I’m your wife, Charlotte’s dead, remember? You proved her husband had murdered her. We’re just going to a pub for something to eat and drink”

He nodded gently, the shadow of a frown creasing his forehead. Then he smiled

“Well, you seem very nice”

Robin choked down a sob

He did have times when he was almost himself, when he remembered what they had together and these moments Robin stored in her heart.

They pulled into the carpark of their favourite pub, went inside and were greeted by the barman who had known them for years

They went to a table, Cormoran leaning heavily on the stick that helped him walk these days

“I’ll just get us a drink and order some food”

She knew it would be pointless asking what he wanted, he couldn’t remember what he liked these days

She sat down, and as they had for all their lives together, settled into a companionable silence, Cormoran had always said she was the only women he knew who didn’t feel the need to fill in the spaces.

Robin loved it here in Cornwall, they lived in what had been Ted & Joan’s house, left to them after the dreadful lung viruses of the ‘20’s had decimated the older generation. Her mum and dad had gone as well, Steve had taken over the old family farmhouse, it had been several years now since Robin had set foot in the White Rose county. The years her family had descended on them in St Mawes for summer breaks were past now.

Their own children and grandchildren still visited, lovely to see them but they seemed to spend the whole time on surf boards and beach parties

“Just like I used to," Cormoran had grumbled affectionately

Robin returned to the table, placing a pint of Doom Bar ale down together with a glass of white wine for herself. It had been many years since they had spent happy hours in pubs with the same order.

She thought about the changes that had happened over the years, the burgeoning success of their firm, now run with considerable acumen by their daughter Cassie, married to the adopted son of the Herbert’s who as well as falling head over heels with Cassie had turned out to be a spectacularly effective sleuth, training for 10 years with the Met before joining the family firm.

Their son Nicholas had not shown the slightest interest in the job that fired up his parents. Instead, as Robin was proud to tell anyone who would listen, he had followed his namesake Godfather into medicine and was now one of London’s foremost Orthopaedic Surgeons. His large size and huge hands not seemingly a problem to him, She could hear him saying “You need some strength to fit replacement hips Mum, its biological carpentry really”.

Strike picked up the drink and tasted it, his eyebrows lifted

“Hmm, that’s nice, what is it?”

“It’s Doom Bar love, a local beer”

“Well it’s lovely, I think I’ll have it again”

Their meals arrived, Pasty and chips, covered with rich onion gravy; the same thing Cormoran had ordered on their first ever visit; the day he had proposed to her.

They sat and enjoyed their meal, Robin fetching another round of drinks, she wasn’t worried about the alcohol affecting her driving, they didn’t have far to go after their meal.

They enjoyed each other’s company for a couple of hours, at one point Cormoran looked at her with that intense gaze and crinkled his eyes in the way he did just for her. “You know you are the love of my life don’t you little bird”

She couldn’t stop the tears this time

“You alright, can I help you? What’s the matter”

And just like that, he was gone again

“Nothing, nothing," Robin sighed, "come on its time”

She got Cormoran settled in the passenger seat, then after carefully opening the gate she’d parked in front of, she drove the old Defender into the field, stopping and jumping out of the car to close the gate behind her; she was still a country girl, even after all the years living in London.

She ran through the checklist in her head, she had left letters on their kitchen table, one for her brothers , one for Ilsa, the friend she’d had for all her married life, one for each of the children and grandchildren all explaining the same thing. The practical stuff first, where all the paperwork was, details of the solicitor who had taken her instructions and held their wills. Rationally explaining her moral dilemma, and how that quandary had resolved itself at her visit to the oncology department of Truro hospital, when she had discovered the results of her scan. Finally adding a personal message to each of their loved ones.

Satisfied that she had covered everything Robin leaned across and touched her hand to Cormoran's face, he turned towards her and she pressed her lips to his for the final time.

He sat very still, just looking at her with those green eyes

Robin engaged cross country mode, slammed the accelerator to the floor and the Land Rover bucked and roared forward.

Toward the setting Sun

Toward the most magnificent cliffs in Cornwall


End file.
